99 Years
by Lonely in the basement
Summary: The streets weren’t very different. At least, he liked to think so, as he knew exactly where he was going. But he knew that they were different." Edward doesn't go to our world in exchange for his brother. But he most go somewhere much more permanent.


99 Years

The streets weren't very different. At least, he liked to think so, as he knew exactly where he was going. But he knew that they were different. There where houses where there used to be none, and comic book shops and video game store where fields used to be.

Rizembool has changed. Technically it's been 99 years since he stepped foot in this town, but it's also been only a couple months.

From what he's heard Alphonse is still alive and with the many methods of communication he used only two; mail and telephone. But neither seemed personal enough, with so much time between them he had to see his brother before he was just talking to a grave stone.

He made his way up the hill, past the computer store past the book store past the coffee shop, to the one house he never thought he'd seen again. Looking at it from where he stood, he could almost fool himself into thinking that he'd gone into the past.

It took him little to no time before he reached the house, the house that his brother built to look exactly like the one that they grew up in. The house that he could imagine smelled of the scent that was always on his father, and had the notches on the one wall where he and his brother used to be measured, and his mothers room, where millions of story books where held, so his mother could sate her love of reading when she had extra time.

But he knew that it had little if any of that. It was no longer he, his brother, and his mother living in that house. It was a new house that had once housed a family not like there's. Where the children had a mother and a father and didn't try the forbidden act.

As he neared the home, a young woman ran out. A young woman with sandy brown hair and bright golden eyes. A young woman with a state pocket watch in her pants pocket, and six children chasing after her.

"Wait up Aunty!"

"We'll get you."

"Oh no you don't."

They caught up to her and tackled her to the ground. A quick wrestling match followed until they tired out and all laid on the ground, just enjoying the sun. Until one of the kids noticed him. She pointed it out to the woman who sat up to take a good look at him.

"Can I help you?"

"I sure hope so."

She got up and walked closer.

"What do you need help with?"

"I hear a man named Alphonse Elric lives here."

"He does. He's my great grandfather. What do you want with him?"

"I just need to see him. I know him from somewhere."

"He's very old you know, whatever you want to see him for had better not give some sort of heart attack or anything."

"I hope not. But I must see him, it's important."

"Ok." She turned to one of the older girls. "Katharine, can you take him up to see great grandpa?"

The young girl nodded and turned to show him inside.

He took off his shoes, but before he could enter he had to prepare himself, he didn't know what the inside would look like.

Luckily he wasn't disappointed. Al had fashioned the house exactly as it had been before. The kitchen was where the kitchen should be, so was the closets, and the bathrooms and the bedrooms. So it was easy enough to know that he was being taken to the room that his mother once had.

But it all wasn't the same, the room that was once his fathers study, while still a study, sported thinks like a laptop and CD's, the few books that were present were on the bookshelf on at the other side of the corner.

"This is his room. He's probably reading, or resting, considering the time.

"Thanks kid."

The girl left, but a full five minutes passed before he could muster up the courage to open the door and enter. The quiet forced the mismatched sound of his mismatched legs to echo in the quiet room.

Alphonse was faced away from him, lying down on his bed, almost looking to be fast asleep.

"Lily, I'm fine, go down and play with your sisters."

"Sorry Al, but I'm no Lily."

The shoulder he could see stiffened.

"James, go tell your sister I'm fine."

"I'm no James either."

Alphonse slowly and painfully turned to face him, and if he was surprised he certainly didn't show it.

"I thought you were dead, funny how you'll always prove me wrong."

"If that's the case then you don't look too surprised to see me… old man"

"You've beat the odds so many times that it's hard to be surprised, no matter what it is. What brings you back after so long, and how'd you stay so long."

Edward sighed. "You know the day that I died."

Alphonse nodded his head.

"Well, after you brought me back, I tried to bring you back. Looks like I succeeded, but I guess the price was missing 99 years of your life. But it looks like you lived a nice life, so I have no regrets."

"How are you going to get by Ed? Most of the people we know are dead, and my time is fast approaching."

"I'll do what I've always done. Adapt and survive. Live until it's my time to go too. But I'm not going to end it on purpose. No one would want that, and I think that I'll find something to live for."

Alphonse smiled. "At least you've matured since the last time I saw you."

"How long do you think you have?"

"A few days at most, had another heart attack yesterday, had my youngest grandchildren in a scare. Good thing you came when you did."

"Me too Al. How many other people are alive? I found out about you before I left."

"Winry I know for sure, she's in Rush Valley. But she's gotten to be forgetful, you visit her one day and she doesn't remember you at all, visit her another day and she thinks you're someone else, another and some of the dead are alive again. But she doesn't have the same ailments as me so she's got a couple months before she's probably going to go too."

Ed smiled. "Thanks Al. I'm glad I'm able to see everything paid off."

"Glad to see you before I kick the bucket."

Ed sighed. "Guess I better get going, it takes six hours to get to Rush Valley from here and the trains probably going to leave soon." Ed turned to leave. "I'm going to miss you."

"I missed you too."

He left silently. He walked past the coffee shop past the book store past the computer store, away from the one house he never thought he'd seen again.

At the train station he bought a ticket and boarded the 4:00 train heading to Rush Valley. But he stopped in one of the towns on the way there to stay at a hotel to sleep.

The next morning, before he boarded the 9:30 train he bought a newspaper. One that was for the area that Rizembool was from. He read through the whole thing, trying to catch up on the time, and stall away from the inevitable. But when he reached the back, where the obituary was saw it.

Alphonse Elric; loving family man and discoverer of the cure for small pox; heart attack; 113.


End file.
